Jinsixiu was indeed the biggest embroidery shop.
Even in the afternoon, there were so many people.
It took a while for someone to attend to them after Jiang Yan and her group entered the shop: “Ladies, what would you like to buy? Our shop has all kinds of fabrics, ready-made clothes, shoes, and if you don’t like what’s here, you can also order custom-made items.”
Jiang Yan said, “You can go attend to others first; we’ll let you know if we see something we like.”
After looking around.
Jiang Yan selected a few beautiful pieces of fabric, planning to take them back for Sun Shi to make clothes.
Just as she was about to pay.
A young woman, dressed in a light red gown and adorned with striking makeup, entered with two maids.
Upon entering.
Her eyes immediately fell on the fabrics Jiang Yan had chosen: “These fabrics will do; they’re perfect for making clothes for my grandmother. Shopkeeper, I want these fabrics for my grandmother…”
“Hold on.”
Jiang Yan called out and stepped forward, saying, “Miss, these fabrics and others here were chosen by me. You should pick your own.”
“That’s right.”
Jiang Ling echoed.
Jiang Wan, holding Jiang Ran, came over. She didn’t speak, but it was clear she stood with Jiang Yan.
How could Ji Ranran let it go just like that?
She shot Jiang Yan a disdainful look, “So what if you picked them? You haven’t paid, so I can buy them.”
With that.
Ji Ranran pulled out a fifty-tael banknote and handed it to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper looked troubled.
Ji Ranran glared at him, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and give me my change. Are you really going to offend me for her? Do you know who my father is? My father is the Prefect of Jizhou, and the magistrate here is my uncle.”
“Miss, I’m sorry.”
The shopkeeper apologized to Jiang Yan before starting to count out change for Ji Ranran.
Ji Ranran suddenly realized that the fabrics in front were also chosen by Jiang Yan, so she decided to buy them all, leaving nothing for Jiang Yan.
“You are too much!”
Jiang Ling shouted in anger.
Ji Ranran laughed, “So what if I am too much? What can you do besides complain? Dare to hit me? Go ahead, hit me if you dare!”
Slap.
Jiang Yan slapped her.
Ji Ranran covered her face in disbelief, “You, you dare to hit me!”
“Isn’t that what you asked for?”
Jiang Yan said at a leisurely pace.
Ji Ranran had never suffered such an insult before; she kicked her two maids, “What are you waiting for? Deal with this wretch!”
Ji Ranran’s maids rushed towards Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan dodged and kicked each maid aside.
Ji Ranran was genuinely surprised by Jiang Yan’s fighting skills; she turned and ran out, stopping at the door to threaten, “Just you wait, this isn’t over!”
Only then did Jiang Yan notice that the carriage Ji Ranran was riding in was the same one that had been recklessly driving that night.
Ji Ranran left, and naturally, the fabrics were not bought.
Jiang Yan paid for the fabrics and left with Jiang Ling and the others.
Once in the carriage.
After the carriage had been moving for a while.
Jiang Yan asked Qing San and Qing Si, “Qing San, Qing Si, compared to the Prefect, whose rank is higher, yours or his?”
“We are second-class guards of the royal palace, a fourth-rank official, slightly higher than the Prefect’s rank.”
Qing San replied casually.
Qing Si was curious why Jiang Yan asked this, so he inquired, “Miss Jiang, why do you ask?”
Jiang Yan answered, “Oh, we just had a run-in with the daughter of the Prefect of Jizhou, and I slapped her, but it’s not my fault; she asked for it.”
Earlier, it was inconvenient to stop the carriage at the door.
Otherwise.
They would have heard their conversation.
Upon hearing this, Qing San said nonchalantly, “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”
Qing Si pursed his lips, “Since she’s the daughter of the Prefect of Jizhou, why is she in the county town?”
“She said her uncle is the magistrate here.”
“Probably visiting relatives.”
With Jiang Yan’s words, Qing Si couldn’t help but twitch his mouth; she really dared to stir trouble.
Now.
It was like offending two officials at once.
Seeing Qing Si didn’t respond, Jiang Ling spoke up to help explain.
“It’s not my sister’s fault. She bullied us first. We had already chosen the fabrics and were about to pay when she came in and grabbed them.”
“Then I called her out on it.”
“And she said, ‘So what if I’m too much? What can you do besides complain? Dare to hit me? Go ahead, hit me if you dare.’ She said it, so not hitting her would have been unjust.” Upon hearing Jiang Ling’s words, Qing San spoke up, “I’ve never heard of such a woman before. Well done for hitting her, she deserves a lesson. Let’s see if she dares to speak like that again!”
What a troublemaker.
Qing Si voiced his inner thoughts, “Although she deserved it, offending someone like her will likely bring trouble.”
“I was impulsive, but I don’t regret it,” Jiang Yan said.
Qing Si was momentarily speechless.
As they were packing up and preparing to leave the city by carriage:
A city guard stopped them, scanning the carriage and said, “Everyone in the carriage, get down.”
Jiang Yan and her companions slowly descended from the carriage.
Just as they stepped down, a guard approached with a stack of papers, examining them, “It’s them, arrest them!”
“What are you doing?”
Qing San and Qing Si got off the carriage to shield Jiang Yan and her group.
The guard who had spoken earlier snorted coldly, “They hit our master’s niece; this matter cannot be overlooked. Be smart and move aside, or we’ll arrest you too!”
Qing San said in a low voice, “You won’t take them away right in front of us, no way!”
“They resist arrest!”
At the guard’s shout, the surrounding soldiers encircled them with weapons drawn.
Qing Si was about to present his badge when Jiang Yan stepped forward and held him back, “Don’t fight, we’ll go with them.”
She had intended to use Qing Si and his men to deal with the magistrate.
Unexpectedly, upon seeing her, the magistrate’s eyes widened in shock.
Ji Ranran shook him, “Uncle, what are you doing? Hurry up and have them taken away for punishment, then lock them up for ten days or half a month!”
Jiang Yan stepped forward and declared firmly, “On what grounds are you arresting us? She started it, if she hadn’t acted or spoken like that, would I have hit her?”
“Did I start it? Can anyone testify to that?”
Ji Ranran laughed.
The magistrate seemed not to hear their conversation; instead, he approached Jiang Yan and asked, “Girl, who is your father?”
Why would he ask such a question?
Before Jiang Yan could answer, Jiang Ling spoke up, “Our father is Jiang Dahu, do you know him?”
Upon learning their father was Jiang Dahu:
The magistrate chuckled, “It’s like the flood washing away the Dragon King’s temple, family not recognizing family.”
“Uncle, they are Jiang Dahu’s daughters?”
Ji Ranran’s brows furrowed instantly.
The magistrate raised his hand and slapped her, “You girl, is that how you address your uncle?”
“Uncle?”
Jiang Yan exclaimed.
The magistrate nodded, “Yes, your father is Ji Ranran’s uncle…”
What was going on?
Before Jiang Yan could inquire further, the magistrate began to explain.
“Back then, your grandmother was chased by evildoers and left your father in a… some place, I’ve forgotten where. Anyway, she placed him there, but when she returned, he was gone. They searched for years without finding him, until recently when the family butler, returning to his hometown, spotted your father at the docks and brought him back home.”
“Your grandfather was once the Minister of Works, now retired. Your father has an older sister and three older brothers, with him being the youngest.”
